Immersion control



May 15, 1945o B. E. SHAW 2,376,091

IMMERSION CONTROL I whereby the objects contemplated PatentedI May 15, 1.945

l IMMERsIoN coN'rnoL Burton E. Shaw, Bristol, Ind., assigner Ato Penn Electric Switch Co., Goshen, Ind., a corporation of Iowa Application August l1, 1942, Serial N0. 454,374

(Cl. 20G-138) 2 Claims.

My present invention relates to an immersion control of the temperature responsive variety.

One object of the invention is to provide an immersion control including a. housing for immersion in a, body of liquid or the like and a temperature responsive element in the housing for response tc the temperature of the liquid, a liquid ll being provided in the housing for readily conducting heat from the wall of the housing to the temperature responsive element therein.

A further object is to provide a simple arrangement of sealing means for an actuating shaft of` a temperature responsive element with respect to the housing so that the liquid fill does not leak out and yet slight oscillating motion of the actuating shaft is permitted, without binding.v

Another object is to provide means for adjusting the range of operation of the immersion control comprising a casing oscillatably mounted on the housing and carrying the control device, such as a switch or the like, actuated by the temperature responsive element.

With these and other objects in view, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement and combination of the various parts of my device are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims and illustrated in the accompanying drawing wherein: f

Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view through an immersioncontrol embodying my invention, the control being illustrated as mounted in the wall of a cooling chamber of an internal combustion engine or the like; and

Figure 2 is a sectional view on the line 2.-2 of Figure l. u

On the accompanying drawing I have used the reference numeral ID to indicate a tube, which is preferably formed of metal. The tube I has one end brazed or soldered into a sleeve I2, andthe tube and cylinder together constitute a housing for a coiled bimetal element I3. Thev bimetal element I3 has one end secured, as to a bracket I5. The bracket I5, in turn, is anchored by screws I8 to theinner wall of the sleeve I2. i

The other end of the bimetal element I3 is secured, as by a rivet I1, to a hub IB of an actuating shaft IS. The actuating shaft I9 has one end journaled in an end member 20 soldered or brazed into the inner end of the tube Ill. Its other end passes loosely'through an end member 2i which is soldered or brazed into the sleeve I2. The housing III-I2 is iilled with a. liquid ll 22,

by a rivet I4,-

which may be .of any suitable liquid 'for readily conducting heat. For instance, when the immer- ,A

sion control is used in connection with an internal combustion engine the fill 22 may be alcohol or Prestone, so that there is no danger of it freezing in sub-freezing weather.

The sleeve vI2 atl one end is threaded for the purpose of mounting the control-structure in a threaded boss 23 of a cooling jacket 24 of an nternal combustion engine or the like. The water Within the cooling jacket is illustrated at 25. To prevent the liquid iill 22 from,leaking out through the end member 2|, I provide a collar 26 mounted in liquid-tight relation to the actuating shaft I9, and a iiexible sleeve 2l of neoprene or the like has one end tightly engaged around the collar 26 and its other end tightly engaged around a reduced neck 28 of the end member 2l. The sleeve may be vulcanized to the parts 2B and 28 if found desirable, and with thisarrangement leakage is prevented, while, at the same time, the actuating shaft I9 may o scillate slightly without appreciable resistance to such oscillation by the sleeve 2i.

A casing 29 is oscillat'ably mounted on the sleeve I2 and carries a control device, such as a switchA S. The switch S is not shown in detail in the present application but is fully disclosed in my Patent No. 2,170,341, issued August 22, 1939. The switch S is mounted on a plate 30 having a pair of ears '3Ilsecured, as by screws 32, to the back of the casing 29. The switch s includes an actuating button 33, which is spring extended and adapted to be depressed to the position shown in Figure 2 by the actuating'shaft I9.

Practical operation.

'In the operation of my immersion control a rough adjustment for range of operation may be had by screw 42 and swinging the As anv operative connection between the shaftv loosening the casing 28 to a new I2. The screw 42 may then be retightened for locking the casing in the newly adjusted position.

Thus vthe position of the switch S with respect position relative to the'sleeve to the actuating ann 34 may be varied. A fine adjustment may then be had by means of the adjusting screw 31.

In operation the actuating arm 3l in one position causes the head 38 of the adjusting screw 3l to depress the button 33 to the position illustrated in Figure 2 for positioning the switch S in one circuit-controlling position. -When the bimetal element I3 responds to a dierent ternperature so as to rotate the arm 3l counterclockwise in Figure 2; the button 33 is released for permitting the switch S to assume its other circuit-controlling position. Thus the temperature affecting the bimetal element I3 at a certain point changes the position of the switch S from open circuit to closed circuit position, and at another point changes the position of the switch from closed circuit to open circuit position. The temperature of the bimetal element i3 closely .follows that of the water 25 due to the ready transmission of heat from the water through the `metallic tube it and the liquid dll 22 to all parts 'of the bimetal element. Thus the element is very sensitive to slight changes in temperature of the liquid 25, and its response is relatively quick, as distinguished from the slow response of an element not surrounded by a liquid i111.

The lill 22 is effectively sealed in by the tube or sleeve 2l, which also eliminates the necessity of a packing gland and the attendant friction. The sleeve 2l forms an inexpensive and simple sealing means when compared with a packing gland.

Some changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of the parts of my device without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention, and it is my intention to cover by my claims any modied forms o1' structure or use of mechanical equivalents which may be reasonably included within their scope without sacricing any of the advantages thereof.

I claim as my invention:

1. An immersion control of the character disclosed comprising a metallic housing, a coiled bimetallic element therein, an actuating shaft extending through said housing, said'housing having a pair of end members one at each end of the housing in which said actuating shaft is journalled, one of said end members having a sleeve-like extension exterior of said housing, said bimetallic element having one end thereof secured to said actuating shaft adjacent the other of said end members and the other end thereof secured to said housing adjacent saidI one of said end member, a liquid fill in said housing for facilitating the conduction o heat from a medium exterior of said housing and from the housing to said bimetailic element, a non-metallic iiexible sleeve surrounding a portion oi said actuating shaft exterior oi. said housing and havlng one end sealed relative to said sleeve-like extension and its other end sealed relative to said actuating shaft, and a control device ex" terior oi both said housing and said flexible sleeve and actuated by said actuating shaft.

2. A control of the character disclosed cornprising a housing, a coiled bimetallic element therein, an actuating shaft through said housing, said housing having a pair of end members in which said actuating shaft isjournalled, one of said end members having a closed end bearing for said actuating shaft, said bimetallic element having one end thereof secured to said actuating shaft adjacent said one o said end members and the other end thereof secured to said housing adjacent the other of said end members, a flexible sleeve surrounding said actuating shaft adjacent said other end member and having one end sealed relative to said last end member, its intermediate portion extending away from said last end member exterior of said housing, and its other end sealed relative to said actuating shaft, and a control device actuated by said actuating shaft.

BURTON E. SHAW. 

